Preparation is where most quality and throughput are won or lost. The physical condition, order and identification of the material determine how fast and how safely it can be captured - and whether the resulting files can be trusted. Rushing straight to the scanner almost always costs more in rework than careful preparation would have cost up front.

Capture itself is governed by well-established international imaging guidelines - notably the FADGI Still Image guidelines and the Metamorfoze standard in Europe - which set measurable targets for resolution, tone, colour and sharpness rather than vague notions of "high quality".

Preparation before capture

  • Assess and conserve - flag tears, mould, tight bindings and fasteners; remove staples and clips; identify items that need a conservator or specialist rig.
  • Establish order & identity - confirm arrangement, apply a unique identifier per item or file, and reconcile against the finding aid so nothing is captured out of context.
  • Choose the right device - flatbed for loose sheets, overhead/book cradle for bound and fragile volumes, planetary or camera rigs for large formats and photographs.

Capture settings that matter

Set resolution by original type and use: commonly 300-400 ppi for typed text, 400-600 ppi for handwritten and detailed material, and higher for photographs and small originals sized to a target pixel dimension on the long edge. Capture in colour (24-bit) even for text unless there is a specific reason not to - it preserves paper tone and annotations.

  • Colour management - include a scale target (e.g. an IT8 or device-level target), work in a documented colour space such as Adobe RGB, and embed the ICC profile.
  • Master format - capture uncompressed or lossless (TIFF, or JPEG 2000 lossless) as the preservation master; derive access copies later.
In practice. Photograph a resolution and greyscale target at the start of each session and whenever the setup changes. It gives you objective evidence of image quality and lets QA verify against FADGI or Metamorfoze targets instead of guessing.

Handling and safety

The original outranks the schedule. Support bindings, use gloves only where appropriate (clean dry hands are often safer for paper), and never force a fragile item flat. If capture would damage the item, escalate rather than proceed.

Key takeaways

  • Preparation - condition, order, identifiers - determines speed and trustworthiness.
  • Set resolution, colour space and master format against FADGI or Metamorfoze targets.
  • Capture a lossless master; protect the original above the timetable.

Check your understanding

Last modified: Saturday, 1 August 2026, 9:38 AM